To say the staff at Beaver Water District (BWD) has been busy is a HUGE understatement. From lakes appreciation month, to smart irrigation month, to water quality month, to source water protection week, to Pick Up Where You Play NWA, and then Imagine a Day Without Water, the staff has taken part in all of it. (and you haven’t even read the construction update yet!) Lakes appreciation month and smart irrigation month allowed us to dive deeper into our Beaver Believer conservation program with lots of promotion on social media and other outlets. You may have even seen the billboard as you drove up and down I-49. Water Quality month in August saw the 20th Annual Secchi Day on Beaver Lake, with the most citizen science teams in the history of the event participating. The Beaver Lake Volunteer Day had the largest number of volunteers turn out to pick up trash around Beaver Lake that was also on National Public Lands Day. This time of year is always full of fun ways to celebrate and coordinate with partners.
Secchi Day on Beaver Lake was held on the 3rd Saturday in August just like usual. The citizen scientist teams that came out that morning ranged from first timers to the ‘seasoned’ participants. A record number of 38 volunteer boat teams came out that morning and covered 35 sample sites in duplicate throughout Beaver Lake. Sampling teams take Secchi disk readings to determine water clarity and collect water samples which are assessed for Chlorophyll-a, Total Phosphorus, and Total Nitrogen to find algal density and nutrient concentration. Samples are analyzed in the BWD lab and then cross referenced to the Secchi depth readings to provide an annual snapshot of the quality of water on the lake. When it comes to producing drinking water, greater Secchi depths and lesser Chlorophyll-a concentrations are best. Results were announced at the Beaver Lake Volunteer Day and are posted to the BWD website – Secchi Day Reports.
September brought another record turnout, but this time for Beaver Lake Volunteer Day. The event is a partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers, H2Ozarks, and part of the Pick Up Where You Play NWA series of cleanups. The volunteer day saw 174 individuals picking up litter around Beaver Lake. There were three pickup sites on the lake, from the dam and all the way down to Hickory Creek, where the main event took place. Partner organizations had booths for the participants to learn even more about Beaver Lake, and a unique opportunity arose with Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation. The cleanup volunteers were able to see a Barred Owl that had been nursed back to health released into the wild.
October brings us to Imagine a Day Without Water. The national event invites people to examine how crucial the need for water really is by visualizing life without it, just for one day. Imagine a Day Without Water highlights how essential water is in our day-to-day lives. This year, Beaver Water District collaborated with two local businesses to emphasize the importance of safe, clean drinking water. The videos help show the role water plays in NWA’s communities and economy. Thank you to Sacred Hollow Farm and Café Con Chisme for helping us out this year. You can take a look at all the videos in the Imagine a Day Without Water series on Beaver Water District’s YouTube channel.
Thank you to all our partners that help us out with so many events each year. We are better together!